Tube hanger

ABSTRACT

Support device for suspending pipes or tubes from a support surface. The support device is capable of supporting a plurality of tubes or pipes of varying size, and is capable of supporting pipes and/or tubes running transverse to each other.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to support devices forsupporting structural members, and more specifically, to a hanger forsuspending pipes or tubes from a support surface.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Pipes or tubes in residential and commercial installations are generallymounted to support structures such as walls, under-floor joists orstructural members. In plumbing installations, pipes are often supportedby the use of a strap hanger which is comprised of a length ofperforated metal which is bent around the pipe and nailed to anunder-floor joist or wall. More recently, numerous other types of pipehangers have been marketed. Most of these devices are formed to supporta single pipe or tube, or are designed to support a single pipe or tubeof a specific size (i.e., diameter). Moreover, many existing types ofpipe and tube hangers are designed for mounting to under-floor joists orwalls, but do not lend themselves to attachment to structural metalbeams.

The present invention overcomes these and other problems and provides atube or pipe hanger capable of supporting a plurality of tubes or pipesof varying size, which is capable of supporting pipes and/or tubesrunning transverse to each other.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a hanger forsuspending at least one cylindrical member from a support, said hangercomprising an elongated body member having spaced apart parallel wallsextending along the length of the body. A central web is provided toconnect the wall members to each other. Spaced apart slots are formedthrough the web. A plurality of spaced apart tubular sleeves are formedthrough the web, the sleeves being generally perpendicular to the weband parallel to the side walls. An attachment member is formed at oneend of the body member. The attachment member is fastenable to a devicefor attaching the body member to a structural metal beam.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a flexiblestrap is provided to extend through said slots formed through said web,said strap forming a loop for supporting and securing a pipe to saidhanger.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a hanger forsuspending at least one elongated cylindrical member from a structuralsupport.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a hanger asdescribed above which may be attached to a wall, wooden floor joist, ormetal structural beams.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a hanger asdescribed above which is adaptable for supporting a plurality ofdifferent sized cylindrical members.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a hangeras described above, wherein more than one cylindrical member may besimultaneously supported thereon.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a hangeras described above, wherein more than one cylindrical member may besupported thereon, and wherein said cylindrical members may bepositioned transverse to each other.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a hangeras described above having a surface member enabling one hanger to beattached to another to extend the overall length of a hanger.

An even further object of the present invention is to provide a hangeras described above, wherein two like hangers may be attached to eachother in snap-lock fashion.

These and other objects will become apparent from the followingdescription of a preferred embodiment taken together with theaccompanying drawings and the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention may take physical form in certain parts and arrangement ofparts, a preferred embodiment of which will be described in detail inthe specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings whichform a part hereof, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a tube hanger illustrating a preferredembodiment of the present invention showing such hanger secured to afloor joist supporting a tube;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the hanger shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the hanger shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along lines 4--4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing two hangers as shown in FIG. 1attached together, mounted to a structural metal member and supportingtwo tubes;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged view showing how two hangers are secured to eachother;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a tube hanger illustrating an alternateembodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing how two hangers as shown in FIG. 7may be attached to each other.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring now to the drawings wherein the showings are for the purposeof illustrating preferred embodiments of the invention only, and not forthe purpose of limiting same, FIG. 1 shows a hanger 12 for supportingcylindrical members 14, such as pipes or tubes, illustrating a preferredembodiment of the present invention.

Hanger 12 is generally comprised of a generally prismatic elongated beam16 and a flexible strap 18. Beam 16 includes an upper end 22 and a lowerend 24. Beam 16 is generally comprised of a pair of spaced apart flanges(walls) 26 connected at their midpoints by a web 28. A plurality ofspaced apart tubular members 32 extend through web 28. Tubular members32 are generally perpendicular to web 28 and parallel to flanges 26.Tubular members 32 define inner bores 34 which extend therethrough.Reinforcing walls 36 extend out from tubular members 32 to flanges 26 asbest seen in FIGS. 2 and 3. A plurality of spaced apart slots 38 areformed in web 28. A slot 38 is disposed between each tubular member 32.Upper end 22 of beam 16 includes an end plate 42 having a threadedmember 44 extending therefrom. Threaded member 44 is oriented along theaxis of beam 16. Recesses 46 are formed in end plate 42 and in thereinforcing walls 36 adjacent to end plate 42. Recesses 46 aredimensioned to receive a pair of fasteners 48 in snap-lock fashion.Fasteners may be nails or screws which are used to fasten beam 16 to asupport surface or to another beam 16 as will be described in greaterdetail below.

Lower end 24 is formed to include a first opening 52 which generallyextends from the surface of one flange 26 to the surface of the otherflange 26. A second opening 54 is formed in lower end 24 below firstopening 52. Second opening is generally transverse to first opening 52as best seen in FIG. 2. A rib 56 is formed within second opening 54.

Beam 16 as heretofore described is preferably formed of a tough plasticmaterial, such as nylon, and more preferably ABS.

Beam 16 as heretofore described is intended for use with a flexiblestrap 18 which is used to support a cylindrical member 14 therefrom.Strap 18 is preferably formed of a woven fabric material, and includes abuckle or cinch 62 for securing strap 18. According to the presentinvention, strap 18 may be located through either first opening 52,second opening 54 or slots 38 to secure a cylindrical member 14 to beam16. In this respect, FIG. 1 shows a typical installation utilizinghanger 12, wherein beam 16 is attached to a floor joist shown in phantomin FIG. 1 and designated 72. Beam 16 is attached to wooden floor joist72 by means of fastener 48 (not shown in FIG. 1). Fastener 48 extendsthrough bores 34 of tubular member 32 as threaded into wooden floorjoist 72 to mount beam 16 thereto. Flexible strap 18 extends throughfirst opening 52 to form a loop to support cylindrical member 14.Importantly, the "play" or "slop" of flexible strap 18 allowscylindrical member 14 to be oriented in positions other than that shownin FIG. 1. In other words, the loop defined by strap 18 allowscylindrical member 14 to be oriented in a number of positions relativeto beam 16, while still providing support for the weight of cylindricalmember 14.

Referring now to FIG. 5, several applications for hanger 12 areillustrated. FIG. 5 shows an elongated support structure formed from twojoined hangers 12. This elongated support structure is formed bysecuring two hangers 12 to each other. Hangers 12 may be joined to eachother by aligning tubular members 32 on one hanger 12 with tubularmembers 32 on another hanger 12. Fasteners 48 (not shown in FIG. 5) maybe used to secure one hanger 12 to the other, as best seen in FIG. 6. Inthis respect, fasteners 48 are preferably dimensioned relative to bores34 to tubular members 32 to be self-tapping. In this respect, fasteners48, shown as screws in FIG. 6, would in effect be self-tapping into themolded plastic bores 34 of beam 16. By securing one beam 16 to another,an elongated support structure as shown in FIG. 5 can be provided wherenecessary. FIG. 5 also illustrates how multiple cylindrical members 14may be mounted to a beam 16. In this respect, lower cylindrical member14 in FIG. 5 is mounted with flexible strap 18 extending through firstopening 52 in lower beam 16. A second upper cylindrical member 14 issupport to upper beam 16 by means of flexible strap 18 extending throughslots 38. FIG. 5 thus illustrates how a plurality of cylindrical members14 may be mounted to one or more beams 16, and how such member can beoriented transverse to each other. Further, as indicated above, theslack in the loop defined by flexible strap 18 enables cylindricalmembers 14 to be oriented in an infinite number of positions relative toeach other. Still further, FIG. 5 illustrates a beam 16 being mounted toa clamp 82, which is attachable to a structural steel beam. In FIG. 5,the elongated support structure is shown attached to a pipe clamp, whichin turn is supported by a structural metal C-channel. Beam 16 isattached to clamp 82 by means of threaded member 44 being threaded intoa mating threaded bore in clamp 82. Threaded member 44 is dimensioned tobe slightly larger than the standard threaded bore size in conventionalbeam clamps. In this respect, threaded member 44 is tightly received inthe threaded bore of clamp 82 and no additional fastening element, suchas a retaining nut, are required to maintain the attachment of beam 16to clamp 82.

Referring now to FIGS. 7 and 8, an alternate embodiment of the presentinvention is shown. In FIG. 7, a beam 116 is shown. Beam 116 is similarin many respects to beam 16 shown in FIGS. 1-6, and like elements aredesignated with like reference numbers. Beam 116 has been modified,however, to include outward extending, generally J-shaped tabs 118 atthe upper end of beam 116. Tabs 118 are dimensioned to be received inslots 122 formed in flanges 126. Slots 122 are dimensioned to receiveJ-shaped tabs 118 in snap-lock fashion. As illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8,beam 116 may be modified to facilitate attachment of one beam to anotherin snap-lock fashion.

The foregoing description is a specific embodiment of the presentinvention. It should be appreciated that this embodiment is describedfor purposes of illustration only, and that numerous alterations andmodifications may be practiced by those skilled in the art withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is intendedthat all such modifications and alterations be included insofar as theycome within the scope of the invention as claimed or the equivalentsthereof.

Having described the invention, the following is claimed:
 1. A hangerfor supporting at least one pipe or tube from a support, said hangercomprising:a generally prismatic elongated body member formed by spacedapart parallel flange walls which are connected to each other by a webextending along the length of said body; spaced apart slots extendingthrough said web between said walls; spaced apart tubular members formedthrough said web, said members being parallel to each other andperpendicular to said web and including inner cylindrical surfacesdefining inner bores extending therethrough, said inner boresdimensioned to receive fastening means for fastening one hanger toanother hanger or for fastening the hanger to a support surface, saidinner cylindrical surfaces being comprised of a material that can beself tapped by said fastening means; and an attachment member formed atone end of said body for attachment to a device connectable tostructural beams.
 2. A hanger according to claim 1, wherein said hangerfurther comprises reinforcing walls extending out from said tubularmembers to each of said flange walls.
 3. A hanger according to claim 1,and further including recess means dimensioned to receive and store saidfastening means.
 4. A hanger according to claim 1, wherein said hangerfurther comprises a securing means for securing said at least one pipeor tube to said hanger.
 5. A hanger according to claim 4, wherein saidhanger further comprises at least one opening at an end of said bodyopposite said attachment member, said at least one opening dimensionedto receive said securing means.
 6. A hanger according to claim 5,wherein said securing means is a strap.
 7. A hanger according to claim1, wherein said hanger further comprises:spaced apart slots extendingthrough said flange walls; and tab means for attaching one hanger to asecond hanger, said tab means dimensioned to be received by said slotsextending through said flange.
 8. A hanger according to claim 1, whereinsaid attachment member is a threaded member oriented along the axis ofsaid body member and attachable with said device connectable tostructural beams.
 9. A hanger for supporting at least one pipe or tubefrom a support, said hanger comprising:a body member formed by spacedapart body wall means connected to each other by a web means extendingalong the length of the body member; a plurality of slot means extendingthrough said web means between said wall means; a plurality of tubularmembers formed through said web means, said tubular members extendinggenerally parallel to each other and generally perpendicular to said webmeans; means for attaching said hanger to a support structure; spacedapart slots extending through said wall means; and tab means forattaching one hanger to a second hanger, said tab means dimensioned tobe received by said slots extending through said wall means, said tabmeans being resilient so that said tab means can be compressed andpushed through said wall means to said slots during attachment of onehanger to the second hanger, wherein said tab means expands and insertsitself into said slots upon reaching said slots.
 10. A hanger accordingto claim 9, wherein said hanger further comprises reinforcing wall meansextending out from said tubular members to each of said body wall means.11. A hanger according to claim 9, wherein said plurality of tubularmembers define bore means extending therethrough, said bore meansdimensioned to receive fastening means for fastening one hanger toanother hanger or for fastening the hanger to a support surface.
 12. Ahanger according to claim 9, wherein said hanger further comprisessecuring means for securing said at least one pipe for tube to saidhanger.
 13. A hanger according to claim 12, wherein said hanger furthercomprises at least one opening dimensioned to receive said securingmeans.
 14. A hanger according to claim 13, wherein said securing meansis a strap means.
 15. A hanger according to claim 9, wherein saidattachment member is a threaded member oriented along the axis of saidbody member and attachable with said device connectable to structuralbeams.